Peaceful Solutions

                It was the summer of 2007 that changed my life forever. I was a student at Wright State University working towards my Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology. While on campus, I received an email about an internship opportunity through The Washington Center (TWC), in Washington DC, for the upcoming summer. I decided to try it and started the application process, which consisted of my resume, statement of professional interest, issues essay, transcript and letters of recommendation. It was a competitive program and I was not sure if I would make the cut. Thank goodness I did. I didn’t know it at the time, but things for me would never be the same.

                As the weeks leading up to my internship passed, I learned that I would be living in an apartment on Capitol Hill. I was also told that I needed to identify my top three choices for internship placement, as well as select an approved college course from a list provided by TWC. For the placement, my top choice was N Street Village, a community of empowerment and recovery for women. I was matched with this placement and was told I would be working in their Bethany Women’s Center, a drop-in program that offers women safe respite from the streets. As for selecting a course, there were so many options that sounded interesting to me. Ultimate, I enrolled in Peaceful Solutions taught by renowned peace activist, Colman McCarthy. 
                In June of that year, I moved to Washington DC. Working at N Street Village was amazing. Bethany Women’s Center provided support for the women’s basic needs, and gave them access to resources and opportunities to help them move out of homelessness. While there, I met so many wonderful women who were pursuing better lives for themselves. I also met the social workers who were helping them achieve their goals. It was because of this experience-my time at N Street- that I knew I wanted to be a social worker. This was the first life-changing experience to come out of my summer in DC. 
                The second life-changing experience of the summer was a product of the Peaceful Solutions course, in which I had enrolled. I had never experienced an educational setting quite like Colman’s. His classes were discussion-based and encouraged students to “question the answers.” The topics covered each week were voted on by those of us in the class and we graded ourselves on assignments.  One of the topics covered during this course was Animal Rights. Colman started off this particular class by asking us who cared about animals. Every hand went in the air. He then asked who was a vegetarian. No one. Colman matter-of-factly stated that you could not be an animal advocate and eat them too. I specifically remember this moment because I had never thought of it like that. Colman then proceeded to teach us about factory farms and the everyday abuses that are common practice within the animal agriculture business. Needless to say, by the time I returned home to Ohio at the end of that summer, I was vegetarian. 
                My mind was opened as a result of the experiences I had while in Washington DC. Because of this, I went on to complete my graduate studies in Social Work. Upon graduation in 2013, I returned to live permanently in Washington, DC. Since living in DC, I have made the transition from vegetarian to vegan, bringing things full-circle. I continue to learn about animal welfare issues and advocate to end the suffering and exploitation of all animals used for food, clothing, experimentation and entertainment.  

It's History

             I was not born into veganism. Pretty much the opposite, actually. I came from a family who hunted, ate meat, and wore leather. At the age of eight years old, I was the youngest person in my county to ever obtain their hunting license.  Thank God I never actually shot an animal. Despite that, I still ate the animals that my Dad and Grandpa had killed during our hunting trips. In fact, my family ate meat at basically every meal. Holidays and celebrations centered around feasts consisting of animal flesh.  
                Eating animals was just the beginning. I also wore them for fashion on a regular basis. From shoes and belts, to handbags, I was guilty. Especially handbags. Up until recently, I absolutely loved Michael Kors’ handbags. In my last post, I mentioned that I did not see the point of getting rid of my leather items that had previously been purchased, because the damage to the animal had already been done at that point. My plan was to focus on my future purchases and make sure they did not contribute to the cruelty and exploitation of animals going forward. Well it’s been about 2 months since I’ve used my once-beloved Michael Kors handbag. Why? I started to feel uncomfortable about carrying it, even though I bought it a year prior to making the decision to go completely cruelty-free. I think it’s part of the whole mind shift of adopting a vegan life. I see everything differently now. I no longer enjoyed using it and it actually made me feel incredibly ashamed. I couldn’t advocate veganism while outwardly showcasing the opposite.
          Looking back, it’s weird to think that I used to do these things. I think my past experiences are a good thing, though, because it helps me relate to those who are still in that place. I find it easier to discuss transitioning to a vegan lifestyle with others because I have had to go through the process myself. I know what it’s like.  I cannot judge them because I once was them.
          So, what was the experience that showed me the way to a cruelty-free life? The experience that kick-started my passion for activism? The experience that completely changed the way I think about EVERYTHING?  Stay tuned for the next blog post!!!

The Transition

            Those of you who know me well are probably already aware that I have begun the transition to a vegan life! After 7 years of being vegetarian, I FINALLY made the decision to transition to the next phase of living a cruelty-free life. I began eliminating dairy and all other animal byproducts from my diet in January, 2014. Before making the change, I was very nervous about the process and actually had a lot of anxiety surrounding my decision. I think the problem was that I felt completely overwhelmed by the drastic difference in what I thought my lifestyle would be. I got too caught up in “not making any mistakes” with my new vegan life, which caused me to panic. I felt like I had to learn everything about every animal industry, and the cruelty that goes along with it, right at that very moment. 
                After putting a lot of thought into it, I devised a “game plan,” if you will, for my transition. I decided that I would take things in steps to help relieve some of the pressure I was feeling to be perfect at living a vegan life. First, I would cut out all animal byproducts from my diet. This included all dairy, eggs, honey, gelatin, etc. I felt pretty confident in my ability to successfully do this as I had been paying attention to animal byproducts in foods and reducing my consumption of them for quite some time already. Secondly, I would move my focus to fashion, aka clothes, shoes, and accessories. While I saw no point in throwing out the things I already owned, such as leather belts, shoes or handbags, I would make a conscious decision to no longer purchase items made from animals. Finally, and what I consider to be the most daunting of all of the aspects, I would educate myself on household and beauty items that contained animals byproducts, or were tested on animals, and eliminate my use of those as well. Formulating this plan helped to reduce the vastness of the process and my anxieties surrounding it. 
                It has been almost 5 months now since I made the decision. I have found that eating a vegan diet is much easier than I had expected! There are so many vegan products on the market and literally all of the ones I have tried taste amazing!  Not only have I opened myself up to a whole world of foods I probably wouldn’t have considered before, I have also discovered some really great bakeries and restaurants that carry vegan products. Some of my favorites are: Harvest Moon Creations, Olive-An Urban Dive, Sunrise Café, Sticky Fingers Sweets & Eats, and Loving Hut Healthy Cuisine. There are also lots of places I haven’t yet tried! 
                I am doing pretty well with the fashion piece of my lifestyle, too. Before I buy anything new, I check the labels to see what materials the items are made from. It can be confusing sometimes but I am doing my best. Google has become my best friend. As my makeup supply and other household items have begun to run low, I now begin my journey to find cruelty-free options for these things as well. I am still a long way from where I want to be, but I continue to learn new things about living a more compassionate life every day! I have also made some really great new friends along the way, too! 
                Some resources that have helped me in my transition are listed below. Although I am far from an expert, I would be happy to try and answer any questions you may have! Thanks for reading J

Resources  

Being Vegan by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau

Farm Animal Rights Movement (FARM)- www.farmusa.org

Farm Sanctuary- www.farmsanctuary.org

Mercy for Animals (MFA)- www.Mercyforanimals.org